BRISTOL, IND. - Fire destroyed five buildings April 2 at refuse container maker Ameri-Kart Corp.'s Bristol facility, but spared 80 percent of its production capacity. The company has set up a temporary office, a spokesman said. Despite an estimated $5 million in damage, Ameri-Kart expected to begin production again April 5 if power could be restored to the main building, said Bristol's Assistant Fire Chief Scott Cripe.
More than 70 firefighters from nine departments responded. Only minor injuries were reported. The fire may have started in a roof undergoing repairs, said Cripe, who added that an investigation is continuing.
Geon expanding, upgrading Ohio site
AVON LAKE, OHIO - Geon Co. broke ground April 4 for a $20 million expansion and modernization of PVC compounding operations at its headquarters site in Avon Lake.
The company is adding one compounding line and upgrading two existing lines. Work is to be completed within a year.
William F. Patient, Geon chairman and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement that the company believes the project will make Avon Lake one of lowest-cost facilities in the world. Avon Lake produces PVC compounds targeted at siding and window applications, and computer housings and appliance control panels.
Denton named VP of Dow Automotive
DETROIT - Larry Denton, a 24-year veteran of Ford Motor Co., on April 1 was named global vice president for Dow Automotive, part of Dow Chemical Co.
Denton most recently was director of total cost management for Ford's Global Purchasing division. Previously, he was chief engineer for Ford's Automotive Components Division, and plant manager for Ford's Niagara, Ontario, glass plant; its Dearborn, Mich., glass plant; and its Utica, Mich., plastics and trim plant.
Denton replaces Robert Albert, who left Dow after 28 years to become chief operating officer of Becker Group, a $1.3 billion, Tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry.
Denton, a Detroit native, lives in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Toronto delays vote on PVC pipe ban
TORONTO - Toronto City Council on April 2 deferred vote on a proposed PVC pipe ban until April 29 because of a work backlog.
Toronto's city services committee unanimously opposed the proposal at a March 25 meeting with the city's Board of Health, but City Council will make a final ruling, according to Marion Axmith, director of the Vinyl Council of Canada, a division of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. of Canada.
The city's health board has recommended a ban on PVC pipe in the city's water and sewage systems.
Axmith said the March 25 meeting lasted all night as opponents and proponents of the ban pleaded their cases. About 300 supporters of Toronto's vinyl pipe industry attended.
The Board of Health has the environmental group Greenpeace on its side. Greenpeace alleges PVC pipe is a source of dioxins and other toxic chemicals.
The Vinyl Council brought in consultants and cited several studies alleging PVC pipe is safe and its energy efficiency helps address environmental issues. The Vinyl Council pointed out that several German cities have reversed earlier restrictions on PVC building products.
Kerr consolidation claims PP jar plant
SANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIF. - Kerr Group Inc. will close its polypropylene jar manufacturing plant in Santa Fe Springs by Sept. 1 and lay off the 145 employees there. Production will be relocated to Kerr's Bowling Green, Ky., plant.
``It will eliminate the lease expense in California and help to make the company profitable,'' spokesman Geoffrey Whynot said of the consolidation, which it expects to save $2.4 million annually beginning in 1997.
The plant makes PP jars used mainly in the cosmetic industry. The Kentucky plant makes tamper-evident PP closures.
To accommodate increased production, more employees will be hired at the Bowling Green facility, which now employs 40.
Kerr recently sold its metal and glass home canning business to Alltrista Corp. of Muncie, Ind., to focus on plastics.